Nothing's Changed
by Innoverse
Summary: Annabeth is worried that the Romans will have changed Percy, but of course, he's still just his regular old Seaweed Brain self. Kind of like a reunion fic, kind of not. Percabeth, one-shot.


**Hi, Innoverse here! Here's another little one-shot. Oh no, not a reunion fic! Gah, there are way too many of those! They're so mushy, and full of fluff... it's so annoying! But wait, this isn't (particularly) fluffy! It's just a little thing highlighting the more obvious points of Percy's perfect personality (try saying _that_ three times fast). Hopefully, it isn't too cliche. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HOO.**

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**_- Nothing's Changed: Annabeth's POV -_**

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The four of them gathered at the railing, watching as Leo threw the rope ladder over the side, and down to the Romans. Piper was fiddling with her empty sheath nervously, while Jason was gripping the rail and looking down at the Romans with mix of fear and longing. Annabeth, on the other hand, was standing there calmly, looking over the troops that were making their way over towards the city. The only was you could tell she wasn't as calm as she led on was by looking at her fingers, which were nervously tugging at the sleeves of her hoodie—Percy's hoodie.

She'd taken to sometimes wearing his t-shirts and hoodies because A, they were pretty comfortable, and B, they still smelled like him. Today, she was just wearing the hoodie and an orange tank top over skinny jeans, along with a pair of track shoes. Piper had reminded her to take a shower—she'd been so worked up, she hadn't even thought about showering when she was going to see Percy again—and her hair was brushed so rolled over her shoulders in soft curls. She hoped she looked okay—she didn't want to see him looking like a mess. Also, she didn't want him to know how many sleepless nights and how much worry he caused her over the past few months. If she looked like crap, then he'd know. She didn't want him to feel guilty.

Jason shifted his weight nervously as the ladder hit the ground. "So... should we, um, go down there now?"

Piper looked down uneasily. "My stomach says no, but then again..."

"We should probably get going before the troops get here," Annabeth reasoned. "Then we'll have an easier time getting them to listen to us."

"So that's a yes..." Leo said, and then took a deep breath. "Let's do this."

Piper gently pushed Jason towards the ladder. "After you."

Jason put on a brave face, and then began to climb down the ladder and towards the Romans—completely unarmed, completely vulnerable. Annabeth swallowed her fear, and started making her way down after him. She had to close her eyes as she climbed, so that she could focus on something other then the swinging ladder, the biting wind, or the fifty sets of eyes she could feel on her back. Of course—oh, the irony—a mental image of Percy popped up. She remembered seeing him from the deck of the ship as they descended, and that same burning urge to get to him ran through her body.

She opened her eyes and glanced down at Jason. They were almost at the bottom, and Jason was descending faster, trying to get to the ground quicker. Annabeth picked up her pace too, not wanting to get closer to the Romans, but to Percy. Gah, she missed the Seaweed Brain so much it wasn't even funny.

Finally, she landed on the last rung and jumped down next to Jason. Her body tingled and her stomach flipped uncomfortably, reminding her for the fiftieth time that this was _not_ her territory. Piper and Leo came shortly after, and they looked like they were having the same dilemma. Jason looked relaxed, though—he was probably glad to be home.

They all turned their attention to the front of their vision, where two people stood out from the gathering crowd of Roman soldiers. One was a girl of about sixteen, wearing a purple toga and cape over golden armor and a purple t-shirt, with an empty dagger sheath strapped to her hip. She had long, black hair braided down her back, and intense brown eyes. Her face was completely emotionless. She looked a little bit familiar to Annabeth. The other person was Percy, wearing a similar outfit to Reyna, except his toga was a little longer, almost reaching the tips of his shoes. His face was also stoic, showing nothing as he looked at us. Annabeth's heart clenched a little.

She wondered if being with the Romans had changed him. She didn't know if they rubbed off on him since he didn't have a memory and changed his personality. It could have been easy to do that—if you don't remember your personality, then how can you keep it? What if he'd gone all disciplined and serious? Part of the reason Annabeth liked him was because he was carefree and unpredictable—like the ocean. If he wasn't her Seaweed Brain anymore, how could she love him?

Percy and the girl had a quick exchange, gesturing to the group vaguely a few times before they finally started to walk forwards, making their way across the Forum. Both of their faces were still eerily calm and emotionless as they picked their way across the grass, and it was a little unsettling. Annabeth had always liked the fact that Percy's emotions were always right there on his face, and it was a little scary that he could hide them now.

She watched him walk—calm and self-assured, just like he always did. He looked great in the sunlight, the wind picking up strands of his messy hair, tousling it in just the right way to make it look adorable. His eyes sparkled a little—that same sea-green that had quickly become Annabeth's favorite color. His tan was slightly darker, and his muscles a little more defined—which was _completely_ fine with Annabeth. All in all, if she could put it bluntly, he looked pretty hot.

He looked completely in control and collected—at least, until he stepped on the edge of his toga and fell face first into the dirt.

"Son of a gorgon!" he cursed as he pulled himself off the ground, spitting grass out of his mouth. The girl folded her arms, looking at him with a slightly amused, slightly annoyed expression. She rolled her eyes as he meagerly swatted at his toga, trying to brush off the dirt, but only smearing it more. Annabeth had to control the urge to giggle.

Jason looked at Annabeth skeptically. "Is that... Percy?" he whispered.

"You bet," Annabeth said proudly. _Seaweed brain..._

They watched as he and the girl made their way over to the group, Percy wearing a sheepish smile with a light blush coating his cheeks. Annabeth had to smile to herself, but it was just so _Percy_. She remembered his first day of Camp, when he'd tripped over himself going into the Hermes cabin. She guessed he must be (unknowingly) carrying out a tradition. He never really was ever good with introductions, was he?

Now, Annabeth felt stupid for worrying about him becoming a different person. Because, in reality, nothing's changed.

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**Tripping and falling in front of everybody? That's completely Percy.**

**P.S. [No real spoilers for the Demigod Diaries, I think] Has anyone else read the Demigod Files yet? I bought it on iBooks, and I was seriously giddy about reading Percabeth fluff—Riordan style! Needless to say, it didn't disappoint (A.K.A. Percy zoned out several times thinking about how beautiful Annabeth looked during combat). I also liked the story in Luke's POV, it was really good. As well as the one Rick's son, Haley, wrote (he's got some serious talent, too). And the other short story with Leo, Jason and Piper (Jasper is now officially a canon couple! Yay for Jasper fans, drama in MoA with Reyna ahead, though). It was great! If you're really missing the Mark of Athena, I suggest getting it. It makes the wait a little easier.**

**AND oh gosh, I love Thalia's official portrait! Normally, I hate the official artwork, but the ones after the Heroes of Olympus are pretty good. Thalia's has to be my all time favorite (other then Jason's, maybe). She just looks awesome. If you haven't seen it, just look up her name on Google Images. It's the one that's background looks kind of like paint splatters, and her hands are clasped in her lap and she's sorta bending over. I love it!**

**Anyways (after that really long AN), I hope you enjoyed the story. I appreciate reviews! :)**


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